You Will Be Blessed If You Do Good Deeds¿

"What, maybe they're just mistaken?"

"Can a Dungeon Break happen so suddenly?"

"Isn’t this some sort of prank, like a hidden camera because a new Hunter showed up?"

The hopeful words from the rookie Hunters were immediately shattered by the booming, massive sound that resonated throughout the building.

Boom!

Koo-koo-boom!

The sound of something heavy moving echoed through the entire building.

It was a sound that no ordinary human could possibly make.

At the same time, sporadic screams rang out from different parts of the building.

"Ahhh!"

"Close the door! Quickly!"

"Let me in! Close it after I get inside... Ahhh!"

The voices full of agony quickly made the rookie Hunters inside the office realize the gravity of the situation.

Young faces turned pale with fear.

"A prank? This really is a monster, what should we do?!"

"I don’t have any weapons! I haven’t even trained!"

"I’m trying to call for rescue, but the phone isn’t working!"

"…Sorry for the sudden push."

And then, I was finally able to break free from Yoo Han-ul’s grip.

Though my cheek hurt from being pressed onto the floor, complaining about something like that didn’t seem right in this situation.

I rubbed my cheek and, with my remaining hand, grabbed Yoo Han-ul’s hand to get up. Looking around, though the fluorescent lights were out, it was still late afternoon, so it wasn’t dark due to the light coming in.

"First, we need to assess the situation…"

"Jung Da-on, you're really unlucky, aren't you?"

The casual voice didn’t fit the gravity of the situation.

It was Han Jae-young.

"How ironic that it’s you, Jung Da-on, who got caught up in a Dungeon Break so soon after arriving."

Taking a step forward, Han Jae-young moved closer, his face nearly against mine. His breath brushed against me, causing me to frown in discomfort. His black-and-white sharp eyes scanned me intently, like a Cheshire cat.

"What do you think?"

What did he think?

‘It’s just fucking annoying.’

My mind was filled with anger and confusion.

Was someone targeting me again and triggering this Dungeon Break?

Was it like last time, where someone shattered lives and left bodies behind?

It had only been two days since I got caught up in a dungeon. I had heard that the supermarket still hadn’t cleaned up after the man’s body was torn apart.

Who was behind this, and what was their purpose?

It wasn’t surprising that someone was trying to kill me. There were plenty of reasons to want me dead.

For example, there might be someone who doesn’t like the idea of a potential S-rank Hunter emerging out of nowhere.

Or, perhaps somewhere in the world, there’s someone who knows about my past life, who knows my true identity.

Either way, it’s possible.

But the one thing I was most curious about was something else entirely.

‘Wouldn’t it be easier just to come and kill me directly?’

With enough power and wealth to pull this kind of stunt again in just two days… why go through the trouble of targeting me with a Dungeon Break?

Right now, I was a human with my potential abilities restricted by the system, so if they wanted to kill me, wouldn’t it be better to just come after my life directly rather than causing a Dungeon Break twice?

Or perhaps, is there some reason a mysterious enemy can’t come after me directly?

"Han Jae-young."

While I was lost in thought, Yoo Han-ul gave a brief warning.

"Remember, the other person is a minor."

"Haha, why do you obsess over such trivial things? In a month, she’ll be an adult."

"Han Jae-young."

"Yeah, yeah."

Han Jae-young stepped back with a disappointed look. Yoo Han-ul, with a questioning glance, asked if I was okay. He probably thought I was silent and still from being overwhelmed by Han Jae-young.

It was a misunderstanding. I was just thinking about something else entirely.

Han Jae-young smiled brightly as though he hadn’t been staring at me with intensity just a moment ago.@@novelbin@@

"Let’s deal with the immediate problem first."

I agreed. Han Jae-young covered his mouth with his hand and exaggeratedly coughed.

"Ugh, a Dungeon Break in the middle of Seoul? What do we do now? This is tough."

"Uh, Han Jae-young Hunter."

One of the rookie Hunters, still caught in the confusion, raised their hand and spoke to Han Jae-young.

They sounded like a student asking a question in class. Considering their age, it wasn’t too far off.

"Dungeon Break… But there are two S-rank Hunters here. Can’t you two take care of it?"

"Y-yeah!"

"Won’t you be able to solve it quickly?"

"That’s realistically impossible," Han Jae-young said coldly.

His voice added a chill to the already tense atmosphere, clearly making the situation even worse.

He truly acted ruthlessly if he thought something was beneath his standards. A figure someone like the Devil might prefer.

"Everyone, get into the habit of checking system messages. They’ll greatly help in keeping us alive."

It seemed the rookie Hunters weren’t used to looking at system messages yet, as they hadn’t noticed the "Comprehensive Level Temporarily Decreased" notification.

Honestly, even I was surprised by that one.

-[Warning!] Comprehensive Level Temporarily Decreased.

This message had appeared just before Yoo Han-ul knocked me to the floor.

And as soon as that message appeared...

• Jung Da-on (Abnormal)
• Potential Ability Evaluation: S-rank
• Stamina: LV. 12 (Limit: None)
• Strength: LV. 8 (Limit: None)
• Mana: LV. 18→1 (Limit: None)
• Comprehensive Level: LV. 12→8
• Warning! The comprehensive level has decreased for an unknown reason. Please be cautious during dungeon raids.

"What is this? A temporary decrease in the comprehensive level?"

"Yes, the smoke is what caused it."

Han Jae-young pointed to the smoke leaking under the door. White powder-like residue was left where the smoke had passed.

"It’s a new invention designed to temporarily disable a Hunter’s magical circuits to suppress them."

"…Such a thing exists?"

"It was invented in the U.S. by Estella, the president of the Hunter Association."

Estella.

That name was familiar. I had heard about her in the news. She was one of the strongest magicians in the world.

Yoo Han-ul nodded, his expression serious.

"Physically, it’s hard for even an S-rank Hunter to prevent inhalation. If you’re not wearing a gas mask, the smoke circulates through your lungs and throughout your body in an instant."

"Why did the president of the Hunter Association invent something like this? She’s a magician herself."

"For the greater happiness of ordinary people."

That was creepy.

It was something a devil would say. I rubbed my forearm as Han Jae-young continued his explanation.

"In lower-class Hunters, when they can’t make ends meet, they often turn to crime. It’s worse in places like the U.S. where law enforcement is weak. This product was made to deal with criminals with abilities. It’s definitely necessary."

"I understand the necessity. But should something like this just be out there? An item that can so easily neutralize an S-rank Hunter?"

"Of course not. In the U.S., it’s as strictly controlled as firearms, and it’s expensive. I thought it hadn’t come to Korea yet…"

"Being able to carry it in the inventory means customs checks are pretty much meaningless now. It would be nice if Hunters like Layla were here in Korea to stop this, though."

Han Jae-young placed the white powder from his fingers into a small plastic bag, then tossed it into the air. It disappeared, likely turning into an item.

"We’ll investigate how this item got here later. For now, we need to deal with this situation."

"Excuse me. If that’s the case..."

One of the rookie Hunters, who had been listening to the conversation, asked with a voice full of despair.

"What happens to us?"

"Don’t worry too much. If they’re S-rank Hunters, they should be able to neutralize it within an hour."

At Han Jae-young’s words, Yoo Han-ul smiled slightly.

"That means, for the next hour, neither of us will be much use."

He said it lightly, but it wasn’t exactly a light situation. While Yoo Han-ul spoke to the anxious Hunters, Han Jae-young spoke in a casual tone.

"Don’t worry too much. The Dungeon Break is a Type 2, meaning it didn’t suck us into the dungeon but occurred here in reality. Does anyone know what that means?"

"Ah, I do."

It seemed like they were giving a lesson. One rookie Hunter raised their hand and explained.

"If the number of monsters in the area where the dimensional rift occurs is smaller than the number of humans, the monsters will appear in reality."

"Correct. You’ve been studying hard."

"Ah, yes…"

They’d make a great teacher. Yoo Han-ul handled the nervous rookie Hunters with ease.

"And in a Type 2 Dungeon Break, the number of monsters doesn’t increase explosively. If you catch them early, it can often just be one or two. And in this building, there are many spaces that can be barricaded. Since this Dungeon Break happened in the middle of Seoul, rescue teams will be fast. Just hang in there a little longer."

His explanation was clear and concise.

It took Yoo Han-ul exactly three minutes to assess the situation.

And, as expected, it worked. Even though I was essentially just a regular person now, the trust people had in Yoo Han-ul, the figure he was, was immense.

Hope began to appear on the faces of the rookie Hunters, who had been in despair and confusion.

Bang! Bang!

-Ki-eeeek!

Of course, the monster’s cry echoed through the glass door.

Something was crawling, and the outside world had darkened.

"The glass door seems way too dangerous. Should we cover it somehow so we can’t see through?"

"No, in front of that monster, being in the dark is even more dangerous."

"Do you know what that monster is?"

"I can make some guesses based on the sounds and noise."

Yoo Han-ul nodded.

"It’s probably a Shadow Ghost. It’s a cheesy name, but it’s quite a troublesome monster. It feeds on human despair and manifests that despair in a physical form. However, it can’t appear in bright places, which is why the sound is coming from somewhere without sunlight, like the emergency stairs. That’s likely where their base is."

"How do you know it’s the emergency stairs?"

"Because of the sound."

At Yoo Han-ul’s sharp answer, some of the rookie Hunters couldn’t help but admire.

"The problem is, how many people in this building can deal with this monster’s characteristics in this situation?"

Han Jae-young tapped his cheek lightly.

"Since this building is often visited by Hunters, we should be able to deal with it. Most of the office spaces have windows, so just make sure the light gets through."

"The problem is the people who are in places like the hallways, elevators, or lobby where light doesn’t reach…"

As Yoo Han-ul looked seriously at the glass door, a voice suddenly screamed.

"No!"

It was one of the employees who had been helping me with my paperwork.

"We have to go to the second floor, to the second floor right now!"

Bang! Bang!

The woman stood up in a panic, and a stack of paperwork on her desk fell to the floor with a loud sound. She tried to rush out through the glass door, almost stumbling.

The rookie Hunters, who had been listening to Yoo Han-ul’s instructions, were shocked to see the behavior of an ordinary person.

"What, what’s happening?"

"Why is she acting like that?"

"Wait a second!"

Yoo Han-ul rushed over and grabbed the employee’s shoulder to stop her.

"You can’t leave here. Even if it’s a bright place, shadows can still be infiltrated, so…"

"There’s a daycare on the second floor. My child is there!"